In a free society a cop should not be trying to make a citizen nervous in the first place. It's a cop's job to be alert for violations, not to provoke violations.
Were you born yesterday? Both sides of the law operate the same way - like pinball. you want to win, you just can’t afford to tilt the machine.
Cops have been skating a fine line forever since my Dad was a kid and told me stories of their tactics.
The point is, the cops are not allowed to violate the law or violate your rights
Are you kidding me that if a 45 year old guy wearing a trench coat and bare legs is hanging out at the local grade school, a cop can’t contact him and pressure him to see why he has been hanging out there all week watching the kids? You have to be kidding.
You have to be kidding if you think a cop can’t contact and pressure 3 guys plastered with gang tattoos acting nervously outside place where a rival gang is holding a meeting.
Don’t sound naive. It is part of a GOOD cop’s job to profile people and then study how they react. This is a useful tactic for police and very effective for them. As long as the cops do not violate the laws or your civil rights, it is a great tactic to see who is up to no good or who has committed a crime.
Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. I am against cops who do no-knock midnight raids and pull people over with no just cause and shooting people’s dogs.
But this? This is just good police work using a tactic cops have always used. I WANT them to use this tactic. Makes me nervous when they are around me too, but the fact is I WANT them to profile and pressure people they suspect.